Page authors: Don Knoke, David Giblin
Astragalus cusickii
Cusick's milk-vetch
Specimens
Photos

Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in southeastern Washington; Washington to east-central Oregon, east to central Idaho.

Habitat: Sagebrush plains to grassy or rocky slopes, often on talus.

Flowers: May-July

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Sensitive in Washington (WANHP)

Pollination: Bumblebees, bees, butterflies

Description:
General:

Mostly glabrous, greenish perennial from a woody taproot and branched crown, the stems many, 3-6 dm. tall, angled and grooved.

Leaves:

Leaves alternate, pinnate, 6-10 cm. long; leaflets 7-19, remote, linear, 5-20 mm. long and 1 mm. broad; stipules lanceolate, 2-5 mm. long.

Flowers:

Inflorescence of loosely 10- to 20-flowered racemes, on peduncles exceeding the leaves; flowers pale yellowish, spreading to reflexed, 11-16.5 mm. long; calyx bell-shaped, 1/3 as long as the corolla, the 5 teeth triangular, nearly 1 mm. long; wing petals with a narrow blade 2-4 mm. longer than the rounded, purplish keel; stamens 10.

Fruits:

Pod with a slender stipe as long to twice as long as the calyx, the body membranous, glabrous, obovoid, terete in cross section, 6-22 mm. broad.

Accepted Name:
Astragalus cusickii A. Gray
Publication: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 13: 370. 1878.

Synonyms & Misapplications:
(none provided)
Infraspecies:
Additional Resources:

PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Astragalus cusickii in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.

WA Flora Checklist: Astragalus cusickii checklist entry.

OregonFlora: Astragalus cusickii information.

E-Flora BC: Astragalus cusickii atlas page.

CalPhotos: Astragalus cusickii photos.

USDA Plants: Astragalus cusickii information.

34 photographs:
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